Identify the physical source
A camera negative, a duplicate negative and a release print are different elements in a film’s material history. The BFI’s Hitchcock restoration account says The Lodger had no surviving original negatives or earlier-generation pre-print material; its usable source was a tinted release print. That is a statement about the surviving object, not an admission that the restoration team ignored a better negative.
Several holdings can share one ancestry
The same account describes a complex family tree created through reprinting. Copies held in different archives can derive from the same source rather than represent independent camera originals. Counting institutions therefore does not tell a viewer how many original negatives survive. Read what the restoration notes say about generation and provenance instead of treating every catalogue holding as a new primary element.
Keep scan size separate from provenance
A digital resolution label describes an output dimension, not the generation of the film element scanned. It cannot turn a later print into the camera negative. Conversely, a release-print source can still support valuable restoration work. If provenance matters to your viewing or research, look for an explicit material description alongside the scan and restoration credits.
Record the edition’s actual source claim
Keep the restoration organisation, year and stated element with the edition you choose. A useful note might identify a particular print and its holding archive, rather than merely calling the picture remastered. That record helps compare later discoveries or editions without assuming a large file or a newer release date establishes an earlier-generation source. Completeness of the historical cut remains a separate question.
Questions, answered
Does finding copies in several archives prove that several original negatives survive?
No. The BFI describes copies with shared material ancestry.
Does a digital resolution label identify the original film element?
No. Read the restoration’s source and provenance notes.